Involvement

Contact

Staff

Justin Levy

Executive Director

Justin began with Conscious Alliance in 2004 after a transformative experience working with youth on the Crow Creek Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He quickly broadened the organization’s scope by engaging young people through service-learning. Over the last decade, Justin’s role with Conscious Alliance has evolved and grown. As Executive Director, he first strengthened partnerships with talented artists across the nation and in the music industry. Through deepening these connections, the “Art that Feeds” food drives became more prominent at major concerts and events across the country. Recently, Justin’s vision has led to powerful new partnerships with many natural food companies and other nonprofits, which have expanded the impact of Conscious Alliance. The organization now provides nutrition and exercise education as well as workshops that connect Native American youth with their culture. Justin received his degree in Service-Learning Program Development at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina, where he was the recipient of the leadership and service awards.

Kathryn Burleson

Program Director

Kathryn’s collaboration with Conscious Alliance began after she met Justin Levy at Warren Wilson College. They shared a passion for service-learning and over the years, grew a transformational intercultural service partnership between the College, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and Conscious Alliance. Kathryn’s commitment to working at the intersection of culture and food security grew, as did her appreciation for Conscious Alliance. After 12 years as a professor, she joined the Conscious Alliance team full time in June 2016 to follow her passion for social justice, and put her research and writing skills into more direct action. As Program Director, Kathryn’s focus is on every stage of program development, from generating ideas, grant writing and program execution, to evaluation and writing reports. She will also continue to lead groups of intercultural learners to Pine Ridge (including from Warren Wilson College). In 2015 she published a chapter, “Practicing lifelong learning and global citizenship on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation” which appears in the book Putting the Local in Global Education and she wrote a guidebook for intercultural service (interculturalservice.org). Kathryn holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Appalachian State University, Master of Arts in Psychology from Humboldt State University, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California at Santa Cruz.

BJ Cochran

Director of Logistics and Touring

BJ has been a fan and supporter of Conscious Alliance since the organization’s inception in 2002. For the past decade, he worked in the music industry as a talent agent and concert promoter in Los Angeles. He has witnessed the organization evolve throughout his career, and it has continued to be an inspiration in both his life and the surrounding music community. With a strong passion to help others in need, BJ started hosting Conscious Alliance food drives on the West Coast as a volunteer in 2009. He relocated to Boulder, CO to become a full-time team member where he now manages day-to-day operations, artist and band communications, graphic design, volunteers, and food drive coordination. Working for Conscious Alliance has allowed him to continue working in the entertainment industry while being able to give back to those less fortunate.

Cathryn Folkestad

Operations Director

Cathryn moved to Boulder, Colorado to join the Conscious Alliance team in 2013 after learning about the vision, goals, and objectives of the organization. As the Operations Director, she helps to build and expand meaningful collaborations between the organization’s industry supporters while simultaneously strengthening the donor base. Through the organization’s national campaigns and events, Cathryn raises awareness of the positive influence individuals can have on their communities. Building on her previous experience, Cathryn inspires confidence within youth from economically impoverished communities through Conscious Alliance’s programs.

Natalie Hand

Pine Ridge Reservation Field Director

Natalie is a member of the Conscious Alliance Board of Directors, and has been working with the organization since its launch in 2002. She lives on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, devoting her life to humanitarian work. Natalie is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Looks For Buffalo Foundation, a Conscious Alliance partner organization that shares a similar mission of bringing permanent social change to the reservation. Since 2005, Natalie has operated our emergency food bank on Pine Ridge, which provides relief to hundreds of families in need each month. She is always seeking opportunities to expand the organization’s efforts and offer services to those in need.

Lauren Metzger

Administrative Assistant

Lauren first heard of Conscious Alliance during college while working and volunteering with music events and festivals. After learning that Conscious Alliance blends her passions for live music and art with hunger relief and youth empowerment, she was enthralled with the idea of becoming an active member of the team.

During the summer of 2016, Lauren interned with Conscious Alliance. She quickly became a valuable asset to the organization. She played important roles in our ‘Art That Feeds’ Food Drives, greatly assisted with our food distributions on the Pine Ridge Reservation, and her dedication to the administrative aspects of Conscious Alliance was outstanding.

In November 2016, Lauren was hired as our Administrative Assistant. Helping others by working for Conscious Alliance is truly a dream come true for her. She is thrilled about all the opportunities the future holds for this growing organization Lauren received her degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in Psychology from the University of Kansas.

Walt Pourier

Strategy Coordinator

Walt Pourier is Oglala Lakota from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and currently lives with his family in Denver. After years of collaboration with Conscious Alliance through cohosted art and music youth workshops, Walt joined the team as Strategy Coordinator in March 2017.

Walt brings to Conscious Alliance a focus on sharing messages of hope, inspiration, and a healthy outlook on life. He accomplishes this through fine art, graphic design, brand identity campaigns, and public awareness campaigns. Walt’s work has reached many communities through youth movements, language revitalization, suicide prevention, ending domestic violence, defending childhood initiatives, sustainable housing, healthy food distribution and more.

Walt serves as the Executive Director of the Stronghold Society and is dedicated to instilling hope and supporting youth movements through “Live Life Call To Action” Campaigns. Walt is also the Creative Director and Owner of Nakota Designs Advertising Design & Graphics. He received his Associate Degree in Advertising Design and Graphics from the Colorado Institute of Art in 1985 and was the Denver Art Museum Artist in Residency in 2015 and 2017.

Ali Stone

Marketing & Communications Manager

Ali has been a supporter of Conscious Alliance since she moved to Boulder, CO in 2016. She first learned about the organization through her husband’s work in the music industry and became excited about the mission. After a decade of successfully working in various marketing capacities for major corporations, Ali began to look for opportunities where she could make a bigger impact for the common good and turned her attention to working in the non-profit space. She volunteered with the Mockingbird Foundation for a year and realized her life goal—to make a difference through youth empowerment. Ali joined the Conscious Alliance team in early 2018. As the Marketing and Communications Manager, she fosters Conscious Alliance’s digital community, drives online donations, and supports our ‘Art That Feeds’ Food Drives. Ali is originally from Chicago, IL and received her degree in English and American Studies from the University of Iowa.